Retrospectively, Sal Cinquemani of Slant Magazine described The Stranger as "a concept album of sorts, an ode to the singer's native New York underscored by his paranoid obsession (and resistance) to change". He called the album "a rejection of the American Dream", highlighting the pessimism expressed in some of its songs' lyrics. [26] Stephen Thomas Erlewine of AllMusic praised The Stranger as a highlight of Joel's discography, noting that its lyrical shortcomings are outweighed by Joel's musical flair, and ultimately concluding that Joel "rarely wrote a set of songs better than those on The Stranger, nor did he often deliver an album as consistently listenable". [18] Rolling Stone ranked The Stranger at number 67 on its 2003 list of the 500 greatest albums of all time. [30] It also placed on the 2012 and 2020 editions of the list at numbers 70 and 169, respectively. [31] [32] In 2000, The Stranger was voted number 246 in Colin Larkin's All Time Top 1000 Albums. [33] Before The Stranger, Billy Joel was on the verge of being dropped by his record label Columbia Records. After the unexpected success of Joel's second album, Piano Man, his subsequent albums were commercially disappointing. Turnstiles, Joel's 1976 release, had peaked at only number 122 on the Billboard 200 chart. [1] Christgau, Robert (March 27, 1978). "Christgau's Consumer Guide". The Village Voice . Retrieved April 15, 2015. Yamachan Land (Archives of the Japanese record charts) - Albums Chart Daijiten - Billy Joel" (in Japanese). Archived from the original on September 8, 2013 . Retrieved September 8, 2013. S CBS 82311 and LC 0149 on label, CBS 82311 on spine, CB 271 54 on rear upper sleeve right, CBS 82311 on rear lower sleeve left, LC 0149 on rear lower sleeve right.

Billy Joel – The Stranger (1978, Vinyl) - Discogs

American album certifications – Billy Joel – The Stranger". Recording Industry Association of America . Retrieved October 19, 2022. Staunton, Terry (September 2008). " The Stranger: 30th Anniversary Edition | Billy Joel". Record Collector. No.353 . Retrieved January 9, 2016. Joel's previous studio effort, Turnstiles, had sold modestly and peaked low on the US charts, prompting Columbia to consider dropping him if his next release sold poorly. Joel wanted the new album to feature his touring band, formed during the production of Turnstiles. The band consisted of drummer Liberty DeVitto, bassist Doug Stegmeyer, and multi-instrumentalist saxophonist/organist Richie Cannata. Seeking out a new producer, he first turned to veteran Beatles producer George Martin before coming across and settling on Ramone, whose name he had seen on albums by other artists such as Paul Simon. Recording took place over three weeks, featuring DeVitto, Stegmeyer and Cannata. Other studio musicians filled in as guitarists on various songs. Rosen, Jody (July 10, 2008). "Billy Joel: The Stranger (30th anniversary deluxe edition)". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on April 10, 2009 . Retrieved October 19, 2015.

The stereo imaging is wider on the MoFi, which allows some of the instrumentals clearer and more distinct which is great. RPM Top 100 Albums of 1978". RPM. Archived from the original on June 19, 2013 . Retrieved September 8, 2013.

Billy Joel – The Stranger (1977, Vinyl) - Discogs

Mobile Fidelity Sound Lab – MFSL 2-383, Columbia – 88725469781, Sony Music Commercial Music Group – 88725469781 Gamboa, Glenn (September 19, 2017). "Billy Joel's 'The Stranger' gets vinyl picture-disc revamp by Brookvale Records". Newsday . Retrieved October 16, 2020. The album closer, "Everybody Has A Dream", is notable for having been written around the time of Cold Spring Harbor but not released on that album. The original demo has not seen an official release and has only been available on bootlegs. Hernandez, Ernio (August 18, 2005). "Twyla Tharp and Billy Joel Musical Movin' Out of Broadway; Final Performance Dec. 11". Playbill . Retrieved October 16, 2020.Tohoshinki Set the Record For The First Time in 31 Years: Reaching the Top-3 on Both of the Singles and Albums Chart Since Billy Joel] (in Japanese) . Retrieved September 8, 2013. The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time". Rolling Stone. September 22, 2020 . Retrieved October 16, 2020. Electric Guitar [Twelve-string And Six-string], Guitar [Highstring], Acoustic Guitar [Rhythm] – Mr. Steve Khan* The Story Behind Billy Joel's "Only the Good Die Young" ". Performing Songwriter Ent., LLC. May 9, 2012.

Billy Joel - The Stranger | Releases | Discogs Billy Joel - The Stranger | Releases | Discogs

billyjoelVEVO. "Billy Joel - Q&A: Have You Ever Rewritten Your Songs? (Berklee 1992)"– via YouTube. From the time of its release in 1977 until 1985, The Stranger was Columbia Records’ biggest selling album. allmusic ((( The Stranger > Charts & Awards > Billboard Albums )))". AllMusic . Retrieved March 19, 2011.More Awards" (PDF). Cash Box. July 18, 1981. p.35 . Retrieved December 4, 2021– via World Radio History. Deluxe Box Set Library Includes First Vinyl Release of Fantasies & Delusions (2LP) and First-Ever Audio Release of Billy Joel – Live from Long Island (3LP), the Artist’s Homecoming Concert at Nassau Coliseum (December 29, 1982) Classifiche". Musica e dischi (in Italian) . Retrieved May 31, 2022. Set "Tipo" on "Album". Then, in the "Artista" field, search "Billy Joel". Nielsen Business Media, Inc (December 22, 1979). Billboard.com – Year End Charts – Year-end Albums – The Billboard 200 . Retrieved May 1, 2014. {{ cite book}}: |last1= has generic name ( help) The Stranger spent 17 weeks in varying positions within Billboard 200 chart's top 10 albums, first entering the bottom position on January 21, 1978 (around four months after its initial release). A month later, on February 18, the album reached its peak position at number 2 on the chart and remained there for six more weeks. The second single from the album, "Just The Way You Are", peaked at number 3 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart, [7] having received a boost in popularity following Joel's performance of the song on an episode of Saturday Night Live. [13] The other three singles were all top 40 hits, with "Movin' Out (Anthony's Song)" and "She's Always a Woman" both peaking at number 17. While "Movin' Out (Anthony's Song)" was the first single released for the album, radio stations put little attention towards it, instead expressing interest in "Just the Way You Are"; thus, the latter song was released just six weeks following the debut of "Movin' Out", after which it achieved far larger success. The single for "Movin' Out" was later rereleased, after which it achieved higher success and ultimately became a hit. [14] According to Joel, "Only the Good Die Young" sold poorly when it was first put out as a single; however, following the song's release, Christian groups and archdiocese areas began calling for the song to be banned on several radio stations across the nation. The controversy helped raise the song's popularity, particularly among rebellious youth according to Joel, and the single thus fared much better as a result, ultimately peaking at number 24 in the US singles chart. [15] [16] The Stranger remains one of Joel's best-selling original studio albums to date, achieving a "Diamond" certification for surpassing sales of 10 million units. [15] At the time, it had surpassed Simon & Garfunkel's Bridge over Troubled Water to become Columbia Records’ best-selling album release. [17] In Canada the album spent 72 weeks in the Top 100 Album charts between November 1977 and April 1979.